Tokyo Times

Mar 04 2010 7 Comments

Homelessness in Japan

When it comes to the street photography seen on so much of this site, I generally have no qualms in quite often surreptitiously snapping people as they busily go about their business, but in regards to Tokyo’s increasingly visible homeless, picture taking seems somehow exploitative, or at the very least invasively voyeuristic.

And yet at the same time, with the number of those living on the streets rapidly growing, combined with very little support or assistance — and sometimes even a hindering of what help there actually is — it feels like to not photograph them, and therefore their plight, is to be equally culpable in what could easily be classed as a cruel and uncaring cover up.

So here, for what they are worth, are a few,

of the unfortunately not so very,

few.

Mar 03 2010 4 Comments

Nero-esque noodles?

It’s difficult to know whether the owners of this restaurant were looking to recreate some sort of roman-esque banquet space, or the lounging noodle lover is a nod to something I simply know nothing about, but either way, as far as promotional pictures go, it’s arguably not particularly appealing.

Mar 02 2010 6 Comments

A few iPhone photos #3

In my previous iPhone-related posts, which can be found here and here, or even here should you find some tilt-shift attempts slightly tempting, I’ve banged on about the gadget’s convenience and the ability to bag shots a bulkier camera perhaps can’t — a usefulness that is further added to by the abundance of photographic apps available, all of which help to disguise, at least to a certain degree, the device’s many deficiencies.

And it’s this practical nature that arguably makes it perfect for use on Tokyo’s public transportation, allowing the documentation of some of the most popular past-times, such as scrutinising screens — which is sometimes favoured in father and son,

as well as mother and daughter double acts.

Or instead simply sleeping, with some travellers appearing as though they have actually passed out,

whereas others are precariously perched,

or just packed in.

Although once off the trains, the stations can certainly be a little more stressful to say the least for the city’s older citizens.

These pictures, some of them in slightly different forms, were first posted to my twitter account, and are all hosted here, along with numerous other iPhone photos.

Mar 01 2010 2 Comments

Asakusa rickshaw runners and riders

As a way of getting from A to B, a rickshaw would more than likely be a massive waste of time, or at the very least a monumental waste of money. But that said, and even though they are only wheeled out in traditional areas to tempt tourists, there’s no denying that they always look fun, as well as fascinatingly old-fashioned.